Southland Action Opens Friday With Lamar
9/24/2015 11:17:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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The Lamar Cardinals visit Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Friday at 6:30 p.m. to take on Sam Houston in the opening Southland Conference match for both teams.
Neither the Cards nor the Kats placed high in the annual preseason Southland preseason coaches' poll. Sam Houston was tabbed to finish the season in sixth place and Lamar in eighth. But both squads have been impressive in pre-conference action the past month.
Lamar brings a 10-4 non-conference record to Huntsville Friday. That's the second best mark in the league (behind A&M-Corpus Christi's 12-4 slate).
Sam Houston stands 6-8, having played in tough fields at four major tournaments. The Bearkats have gone five sets with UTSA, Baylor and Rice. Sam Houston players have earned all-tournament honors at each event. Sophomore outside hitter Brooke White, who leads the team in kills, earned all-tournament honors twice.
“We have played some tough teams the last month,” White said. “That experience helps make us a better team. It helps us find our strengths and our weaknesses. We've had time to improve and learn to flow together as a team to get ready for conference.”
White and sophomore teammate Jordyn Vaughn rank third and fourth, respectively, the Southland Conference in total kills this year. Brooke has totaled 178 kills in 49 sets for a 3.63 average while Vaughn has chalked up 132 in 39 sets for a 3.38 mean.
Lamar's offense is led by Chelsea Grant who has posted 139 kills and leads the league in hitting percentage with a .423 mark.
Sam Houston and Lamar split in Southland Conference action last year. The Bearkats lost 16-14 in the fifth set in Beaumont in the pair's first meeting. Sam Houston bounced back for a four-set victory in the rematch in Huntsville. Five of the two team's last six matches over the past three years have gone four or five sets.
“It's always a battle when we meet Lamar, no matter where either team is in the standings,” head coach Brenda Gray said. “We've been playing well. This is a good group.”
Sam Houston brings one of the most productive offenses in the league to the floor. The Bearkats rank second behind A&M-Corpus Christi in total kills with 619 in 50 sets for a 12.38 average.
Junior Bearkat setter Michelle Griffith ranks second in the league in assists with 9.82 per set. Junior libero Claire Kilpatrick is third in the Southland in digs with a 4.46 average.
Sam Houston has finished among the top three teams in the league standings five of the last six years. The sixth place prediction in the coaches' poll did not sit well with the team.
"The preseason poll definitely got our attention," Griffith said. "That lit a fire under us when we began training camp. We've been working hard to show people what we're capable of."
Following Friday's action, Sam Houston will head to Natchitoches, La., to face Northwestern State on Tuesday Sept. 29 before returning home for contests with Nicholls Thursday Oct. 1 and McNeese State on Saturday Oct. 3.
Tickets for all home Sam Houston volleyball matches are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com and at the Bearkat athletic ticket office located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
